I discovered a can of Chow Mein noodles in the dark of my pantry recently. My mother always kept them on hand, should some unexpected guests arrive around the next meal here on the ranch. With some cooked meat, (beef or chicken) some vegetables or some soy sauce, she could whip up a sweet and sour Chinese lunch that anyone would enjoy.

TODAY HOY
• Vida Encantada Celebrates Nursing Home week, 10 a.m. on Friday, May 17, car show and at 2 p.m. 1950s Sock Hop. For more information, call Joy Shrum at Vida Encantada Nursing and Rehabilitation Center at 425-9362
• The local New Mexico Department of Veterans’ Service office at 917 Douglas Ave. will be closed on Friday, May 17 for annual training. Regular business hours will resume on Monday, May 20.

Sixth- and seventh- grade students may soon be dancing the evening away. From 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. today (Friday) the Abe Montoya Recreation Center will hold a dance for the middle school students.

“We are trying to do something for sixth and seventh grade students,” Lucas Griego said.
Griego, a youth coordinator at the local center, said local DJ, J&J will provide the music for the three-hour dance. Jeanette Nolan also donated her time to the teen dance held earlier this month.

THUMBS UP! Such a rich life
Many people go through life with only a passing acquaintance with their great-great grandchildren, five generations away from their ancestor. But in the case of Juan Andres Madrid, who died only recently, there is one more generation: He is survived by 16 grandchildren, 27 great-grandchildren, 22 great-great-grandchildren and 3 great-great-great grandchildren. That’s a great legacy.

In its 134-year history, the Optic has changed ownership 10 times, though three of those owners held the newspaper for less than two years. After Hub Kane died of a sudden heart attack in 1947, the Optic was run by a board of trustees headed by attorney Louis C. Ilfeld (Charles Ilfeld’s son), and included Kane’s widow, Helen Kelly Kane. The trustees and Mrs. Kane ran the paper for a brief period, but less than a year after Hub Kane’s death, the Optic was sold to Orville E. Priestly.

Editor’s note: This is the fifth in a series of articles addressing issues associated with oil and gas development in San Miguel County. The articles were written by participants in PROTECT San Miguel county, a local all-volunteer grass-roots organization. The group has been working with the county’s oil and gas task force for three years, has toured several existing oil and gas producing facilities, and has been collecting extensive research on the issues. More information is at http://PROTECTsmc.org

MORA — When New Mexico Highlands University cross country coach Bob DeVries embarked on a mission to bring Mora standout Alonzo Chavez to the fold, he had help from probably the best recruiter available — Alonzo’s older brother Henrique.

Henrique Chavez, himself a former state champion distance runner for the Mora Rangers, will be a senior at NMHU this coming fall. He’s emerged over the last couple years as a leader on the Highlands men’s team.